Hobart trams transformed into Verona Sands beach house

Owner of 10 Westwood Avenue, Verona Sands, Laurie Seeber outside the house which is made from two Hobart trams. Picture: ROGER LOVELL

SIXTY years ago Laurie Seeber and his brother-in-law came up with an idea that took the pair down an unusual path.

It was 1957 and the blokes owned a lovely parcel of land overlooking Pickup Beach at Verona Sands.

The gents bought a couple of disused trams and had them transported to the property. One would later become a sleeping quarters and the other a kitchen.

Getting the trams to the Huon was no small task.

“You can drive from Hobart to Verona Sands in an hour these days, but the roads were very different back then,” Laurie said. “The transport company had their work cut out for them, including having to reverse around some corners. It took them hours.

“Trams were built to last. My trams are virtually in as good condition today as the day they arrived on the block.”

Stop the tram, this is my stop.

For years the trams were an escape for the family, and a place for Laurie to go and tinker with his pet project.

Years later the family had the idea to transform the trams into a real house, and in 1982 they employed a draftsman to draw up plans to enclose the trams — lifted off the ground — within the house.

“I’ve still got those original plans in the kitchen drawer,” Laurie said.

The tram at the front of the house on the upper level provides wide, sweeping, uninterrupted water views.

The beach is just steps from this home’s front door.

The house offers four bedrooms, a 10-second walk to the beach, a big shed out the back, and oodles of potential for the right buyer.

First National Real Estate McGregor property consultant John McGregor said while the property has a lot going for it, it was the type of home that would divide opinion.

A glimpse of the past.

“People will love it or not, nothing in between,” he said. “The fun of a house like this appeals to the child inside us all.

“I can’t imagine anyone transforming it into a modern home, but it would come up a treat with some lovely retro-style furniture.

“There are improvements that could be made that would make a huge difference, such as lifting up the carpet and polishing the oak boards that are hidden beneath.”

Not your average kitchen.

Laurie and his wife lived in the tram house between 2012 and 2017.

He said it was fun to see people drive by, do a double-take, and then come back around to have another look at the trams that protrude from the side of the home.

“People have even come and knocked on the door to ask for a closer look,” he said.

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